Angel Feathers Alternate Ending
by Zenkx
Summary: Zell Dintch is on a oneman mission, to protect a young lady named Meiou and to bring her to Balamb Garden. But what he didn't know is that the girl he's supposed to protect... could be the very girl who would kill him...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Silver-haired Angel

A silver feather drifted down from the heavens swirling and dancing above the girl in white. Sky blue eyes watched as it drifted to her hand and when she was finally able to hold it, a beautiful smile illuminated her features. She rose it up to the air and blew on it, making it float to the air again and drifted off to the vast expanse of the heavens… as her own wings spread wide around her…

Zell looked up as something landed on his spiky hair. He touched the top of his head and found a white feather on it. He looked puzzled as he touched it, "What the….?"

"What's the matter, Zell?"

The blond-haired, blue-eyed SeeD Mercenary looked behind him to find Rinoa and Squall making their way to the balcony. Irvine and Selphie were already there, arguing a little, but talking nonetheless. He realized that aside from Quistis, he was the only who didn't have a partner. He shrugged as he turned to Squall, "Nothin'… just thinking. How 'bout you two?"

Rinoa smiled at him, "Oh nothing. Squall just wanted to steer me off a few admirers…"

Squall blushed underneath his brown locks, "Well, they _were_ a little too close to you…"

Both he and Rinoa laughed as they saw him blush, but seeing that he was outnumbered by quite a huge crowd of couples, he made his excuses and left.

His name was Zell Dintch, SeeD Mercenary and mechanics extraordinaire. At the age of seventeen, this muscled youth has got through a lot of trouble. His Caribbean blue eyes have seen death. His spiky blond hair nearly singed from the fires of war. His fists knocked away thousands of enemies. His feet trod on thousands of miles throughout Gaia…

But, he has not changed despite of his adventures. He can still be found at Balamb, relaxing at his leisure and eating hotdogs at the cafeteria, unmissed because of his blue cargo shorts, his black muscle shirt, his red and black jacket and shoes, and the rare red Erhgeiz gloves. His laugh can be heard for miles, and his enthusiasm for his missions and mechanics has grown into his friends and relatives.

Zell walked around the halls of Balamb, his mind looking for something to distract him. He thought of going outside and look for some decent items, but as he walked towards the exit, a school faculty blocked his path.

The teacher looked at the computer in his arm and said, "Student number 41362: Dintch, Zell?"

His brows furrowed in confusion, but he made his salute and asked, "Yeah, that's me."

The man nodded and bade him to follow, "Headmistress Edea wishes to speak with you in her quarters."

He nodded as he followed him towards the Basement level of the Garden, where Cid and Edea were currently making their residence. The pods where NORG was were removed, and they made a small but comfortable office there. As Zell descended in the elevator, he wondered what Matron wanted.

The door opened with a loud swish, and Zell stepped out, looking for his Matron. He spotted her soon enough and he smiled.

She wore the black dress she had worn during the time they were kids. Gone were the feathered black dress, the horned headdress and the golden ornaments behind her back. Her long hair was now unbound and her features were now softer than before. She opened her arms for him, and he rushed to her embrace.

"How are you doing Matron?" He greeted with a warm smile.

Edea smiled as she let him go, "Wonderful, Zell. Just wonderful. But I'm afraid I have some bad news for you…"

Zell's blue eyes clouded with worry as Edea turned and returned to a small desk. She took a small folder from it and showed it to him. He realized it was a mission and he stood up straight. She smiled.

"It's all right. Just be at ease." He slouched again as she explained, "I hope you do not mind, but I want you to do a mission…"

His blue eyes widened, "Just me?"

She nodded, "This mission is top secret, and you are the only person I believe can protect her…"

At Zell's confused expression, she continued to explain, "Her name is Meiou Seishiro, a child whom I raised on the White SeeD ship. Ellone knew her very well. She is a very nice and beautiful girl… kind and understanding, and very caring." A frown formed on her lips, "Recently though, she has been very quiet and reserved. She spends most of her time alone, until I learned of her problem a few days ago." She sighed, "I never should have left her…"

"What is the matter?" Zell asked.

"Meiou… became Adel's descendant…"

Shocked and utterly surprised, Zell stepped back.

"And that is not all. Galbadia and Esthar are now after her. Galbadia wants to regain their glory using her powers, while Esthar want to contain her to prevent chaos."

His brows furrowed, "Then… what am I supposed to do?"

Edea gestured to the file; "You are to take her from my old orphanage to here, in Balamb Garden, where I can hide her until this whole mess clears up."

He nodded, "But how will I get there? That's in Centra right? It'd be really suspicious if I use the Ragnarok…"

She stood up again, "I have arranged with the White SeeD ship to take you as far as the shore of Centra, and to take you back to the fields near Timber. From there you are to take the train here."

He laughed, "Seems to me that you've arranged everything, Matron."

She smiled as she nodded, "Yes, I want to try whatever I can to keep you safe, Zell. Very well then… this is what you will need for the journey. There is worth 100,000 Gil and a few train tickets should you need it. If you need anything else, you know where to call."

He nodded as he stood up straight and made a salute, "You can count on me, Matron."

She smiled at him as she embraced him again, "Good luck, my Cry Baby Zell…"

Zell looked through the papers on the desk as the White SeeD ship continued its journey to Centra. He scanned the papers again

" 'Meiou Seishiro, Age 17. Born August 7th in Timber. Parents deceased, Sorceress Wars casualties…' " He shook his head, " 'Age accepted in Garden: 4 years old. Age transferred to Trabia: 9 years old. Recorded missing at age 15. Found in Winhill Village. Currently residing: Edea's Lighthouse'…. Hmmm?"

He rummaged through the papers until he found a small black and white class picture. It was rather old, since its edges were rather torn. He turned it over and found a small writing:

'Meiou Seishiro: Age 10 at Trabia Garden'

He turned it again and looked at the picture. In one corner of the picture was a circle and he guessed that the girl it encircled was Meiou.

She sat on a concrete fence behind her friends, smiling beautifully as her hand was giving a tiny wave. Her hair was long and braided down to her waist, and from the gray tint of the picture, he guessed that her hair was blond. A wistful expression can be seen in her eyes, which looked like it was blue. She looked too beautiful for her age in the picture, and Zell instantly fell for her innocent, yet beautiful, look.

Zell smiled at himself. "She looks kind of cute. I wonder how she looks nowadays…"

A knocking sound came from the door and Watts peeped his head in, "We're nearing the shore, sir."

Zell nodded as he fixed the papers and stood up. He glanced at the picture and walked towards Watts.

"Hey Watts… you ever seen this girl here?"

Watts looked carefully at the picture, "Yes, sir. I've seen her. We were the ones who brought her to Edea's Orphanage…"

He nodded. "What does she look like?"

Watts scratched her head, "She's mighty pretty, sir. She always wears this white dress and cloak that floated around her when she stands on the tip of the ship, sir. Her hair was always hidden under a hood, but I think I saw it once… and it looked like it was a silver sir."

Zell's eyes widened, "Silver?"

Watts continued, "Yes sir. And that's not all, her eyes are weird in color sir… her irises as dark blue, but her pupils are sky blue…and…"

Zell's attention perked up when he heard about her eyes, and they perked out even more at Watt's words, "And?"

Watts looked around before whispering, "Her cape is hiding something and, I think it was wings, sir… alabaster wings…"

Zell looked around the ruined building, reminiscing his past in the orphanage. He looked all over the orphanage, not finding the girl, until he saw something fluttering on the wind down the beach. He headed down through the old stairs and looked around.

At first glance, he thought that that a white sheet was floating away in the wind. The he realized it was an actually a woman wearing a white dress and cloak. As he went closer, the figure felt his presence. She turned to him slowly, her veil covering her face. She seemed alarmed, as she raised a hand as if to cast magic. "Who are you?", she asked in a menacing voice.

He raised a hand to assure her, "Please don't be afraid… I was sent here by Matron… by Edea."

The woman reluctantly lowered her hand, "Ma… Matron…?"

He took a piece of paper from his pocket, "She brought you a letter. Here, you can read it."

The girl, whose hand was already lowered, raised it again, and the paper flew off from Zell's hand to hers. Zell's eyes widened at her power.

The girl read the letter, her clothes floating in the wind. Finally, she sighed, "Forgive me. I have been rather…"

"Nervous? Fidgety? Scared?", Zell supplied.

She laughed womanly, "Yes… and everything else. Are you here to come for me?"

He nodded and she started to walk towards him. She extended a white hand, "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Dintch."

He encased his hand on hers, realizing it captured hers entirely, and that her hand felt like warm, soft satin. "Call me Zell. Um… I hope you don't mind, but I really need to see your face. The picture they gave was when you were ten and, well…"

She nodded, "I understand." She pulled off a pin that apparently held her veil and cloak together and as the fabric fell to the ground, Zell couldn't contain a gasp.

Watts was telling the truth. Meiou was pretty… hell, she was beautiful. Her silver hair fell down to her waist, floating eerily. Her face was fair, with silver eyebrows that framed above her almond shaped eyes. Her eyes, as Watts said, had blue irises and sky blue pupils, and her lashes blinked as the wind picked up some sand. Her nose was perfect, and her full red lips completed her beauty.

However, the most striking thing about her was her wings.

They were huge and protruded from her back, and its white feathers fluttered with the wind. They moved, lifting itself from her back, as she did a majestic bow.

" My name is Meiou Seishiro…" She said as she bowed, her wings spreading to encase her white clad body, "And your gasp can clearly be explained, for I am a descendant of Hyne… and the receiver of Sorceress Adel's powers."

For a moment, Zell stared. Then he broke out to a grin, "Yeah, well… you're not the first Sorceress I had to protect."

Meiou's beautiful face seems to relax, "Really?"

He laughed, "Yup! Of course, I had to protect Matron. Then our friend, Rinoa turned into a Sorceress too. So I had to protect her with my friends and…"

Their conversation was abruptly cut off when a shot nearly missed Meiou's head. Zell pulled her down to see Galbadian soldiers floating down towards them in their machines.

"Galbadians!" Zell hollered as he started to pull Meiou away. "We have to get out of here!"

The two of them ran to the interior of the orphanage that protected them from the bullets being fired at them. They ricocheted off the bricks as they hid.

"Dammit!" Zell cursed, "We have to get out of here! I'm sure that the Esthar soldiers are on their way too."

Meiou stood up, "Wait! I have an idea…" She took something from her belt and held it before him. "Matron gave this to me, in case for an emergency."

Zell's blue eyes lit up, "A Holy War! Great! Let's use that!" He threw the vial in the air and showered them with the liquid, and soon they both felt a wonderful feeling. They both looked down at themselves finally seeing that they were invisible.

Zell cheered up immediately, "OHHH YEAHH! Now we're talking! Let's go!"

Meiou was infected with Zell's enthusiasm as they both ran from the orphanage. The Galbadians didn't see them, but kept on blasting the orphanage with bullets. However, by the time they reached the edge of a nearby forest, the Galbadians had realized what they had done and immediately started to cast magic on the whole area. A large Quake blast rendered the ground unstable, and Meiou tripped.

"Owww!" Meiou yelled in pain as she fell to the ground. Zell immediately came to her side. "Hey are you okay?"

She nodded, "Yes, I… I'm fine. I just tripped." She tried to stand up again, but the pain in her ankle made it hard. "Ahh! Darn it!"

Zell looked down at her ankle to see that it had swollen, "Damn, a twisted ankle. Wait, I'll fix it." He raised a fist to cast a Curaga spell, but another blast rent the air.

"Tch… I can't fix it like this! We could get hit while I heal you!" He sat in silence for a while, thinking of ideas while Meiou looked at him worriedly. Finally, he stood up. "I got it!"

He stood and raised a hand, "Cast Reflect!" and soon a slightly pink barrier enveloped them and after this, he bent over and carried her. She immediately shrieked, "Zell! What are you doing!"

He continued to run, as the air got heavy with dust, not answering her question until they came into the forest. He sat her down on the forest floor, careful to keep his arms around her. "They should be exhausted from firing… we should just wait for it to stop." He tightened his hold on her as they waited.

Meiou's head was tucked tightly between Zell's powerful arms and muscular chest. She could hear his heart beat fast, feel his intake of breath and the tightening of his muscles as they waited. She raised her hand and clutched on to his arm.

The shots stopped, the air has stopped stirring. They heard the Galbadians leave on their Garden, which soon began skimming on top of the forest they were in. Zell's arms tightened around her as they passed, hoping that they weren't spotted.

The Garden passed by almost as quickly as it came, and Zell breathed out in relief, "Whew… that was close."

"Zel… If… fcan't… breefff…"

Zell's eyebrows furrowed, "Wha…?"

"I CAN'T BREATHE!"

Zell immediately released Meiou, whose face was all red and blushing. He could see the mark his arms made around her face, and he blushed in embarrassment.

"Whoops… sorry about that! I just got kinda… er…."

Meiou was rubbing her neck where his arm had held her, but she smiled sweetly up at him, "It's fine. I could understand why you wanted to protect me so much." She looked around them, "Are those… the Galbadians? Why are they so keen to find me…?"

Zell stood up and put her arm around him for support. She held on tightly as they limped to the interior of the forest. Zell marveled at the touch of her hand and the heat of her arm. An addictive scent of gardenias floated around him, and he swallowed before answering, "They are looking for you… or for your power that is." At Meiou's wide-eyed expression, he immediately explained. "That's why I was sent here. Matron said to protect you at all cost and to take you back to Balamb where she can keep a close watch on you."

She nodded as she looked around, "Well, where are we supposed to go now?"

Zell looked around and spotted a Chocobo, "We should go look around the area for the White SeeD ship. I'm sure they're around here somewhere. They must have hidden when they saw the Galbadian ship." He teased the Chocobo out of hiding and soon he was able to harness and ride it. He placed her on the animal and he rose himself up behind her. He smiled again, "Better hang on. I've never been a good Chocobo rider."

Meiou clutched on the reins tighter as Zell made the chocobo gallop. It was scary feeling at first, but as the bird's running speed grew, she couldn't contain a laugh. "Whee! This is fun! Make it go faster, Zell!"

He laughed at her childish behavior, "Nope! I can't do that. He'll get tired easily."

She looked up at him and pouted, "Pu-leazzzze! Just one gallop!"

He looked down at her and his breath was knocked out of his lungs. She was very beautiful, with the wind playing with her silver hair and her red lips pouted. He suddenly had the urge to silence her with his own lips. But he shook his head, as he said firmly, "No. He would get tired easily."

There was finality in Zell's voice that made Meiou frown and sulk in front of him. But he kept himself silent. And as they continued to search for the White SeeD ship, he made up his mind to apologize to her… as soon as they get off the Chocobo, that is.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Travelling…

Meiou's face was getting hot, but she kept her eyes closed. The scent of the ocean had been replaced by the scent of burning cedar. Something soft covered her and made her want to sleep some more. But she opened her eyes and yawned instead.

"Hey! Good to see you're awake!"

She looked behind him to see Zell, sitting on a table and eating. The scent of coffee and sausages wafted to her nose, and she realized that she hadn't eaten for a while. She was about to stand up when she realized she didn't have any clothes on.

She blushed underneath the blanket, "Uh… Zell. Where are my clothes?"

Zell's face turned red but he muttered, "Uh… ah… the SeeDs here are mending your clothes to something more… comfortable." He coughed as he stood up, "I'm finished with breakfast so you can… uh… go ahead and eat here. Uh… there's a dress there you might want to wear while you're…uh… right…" He took a giant gulp of coffee and left with a 'See yah!'.

She smiled when she heard the door close and the lock turn. She stood up and looked for the dress, slipping it on her. She sat down on the table and started eating, smiling as she remembered Zell's red face. She had to admit, even with that weird tattoo on his face, he looked somewhat cute…

Zell was savoring the scent of the ocean as he stood at the tip of the White SeeD ship. He still remembered Meiou, and how she looked in the bed that morning. How tousled her hair was, how she modestly covered her body, how white her skin was, what would it be like to be with her… naked beside the bed…

His blue eyes widened when he realized what he was doing and he shook his head, furious at himself. _What am I doing!_, he thought to himself, _I should be protecting her, not raping her!_

"Zell…"

He jumped at the sound of the voice behind him. He turned, seeing Meiou, but he gasped to see what she was wearing.

The SeeDs had altered her dress, so instead of a white dress, she now wore a white mini-skirt with long sleeves. The cloak was still present, covering her wings from view, but the veil that used to cover her face was now weaved through her hair, accenting the silver color of her hair against the white fabric. She wore a pair of white knee-length, high-heeled boots. A dagger was sheathed on her waist, which must be the weapon of choice she wanted. She smiled nervously at him, "Do… do I look okay?"

He had to swallow before speaking, "Yes… yeah! You look…"

_Ravishing…? Gorgeous? _

"Beautiful…"

It seems like he finally got his words right, because a smile and a blush brightened her features. She ducked her head slightly and started walking towards him. She clung on to a line of rope and sat down on the edge of the ship, "What are you doing here alone?"

He sat down beside her, "I was just thinking…"

"About what?"

He looked at her before turning his attention back to the ocean before him, "About my family in Balamb. I kinda miss them. It's been a long time since I visited them, ya know… with all my SeeD duties and stuff."

Meiou nodded, " I see… I miss my family too, but… I can't do anything to bring them back now."

Zell nodded too, "I know. I only have my mom now, but that's okay. I love my neighbors too. They're sorta like family to me now. Everybody's just helpin' everybody. But it's no wonder that we're all closely knit… Balamb is a just a little town."

Meiou's eyes gazed down to the ocean, "But still, it must be wonderful to have so much people around you. I…" She swallowed, "I don't have anybody with me anymore…"

He saw the sadness in her eyes and wished he could do something to cheer her up. He bit his bottom lip as he thought. Finally, he thought of something.

"Hey, would you like to be my blood sister?"

Meiou looked at him, her eyes gleaming with tears, "Wh… what?"

Zell reached out and took her dagger from her waist. To Meiou's surprise, he removed his glove and wounded his hand. He raised his bloodied hand to her, "I vow to have you as my sister and I shall do everything that I can to protect you…"

She continued to stare at him, but she took the dagger and wounded her hand. She reached it out and Zell placed his hand on hers, the blood in their wounds mingling with each other. He felt some sort of warmth enter his hand and his arm but he didn't mind it. He simply grinned and said, "Welcome to the Dintch family, Meiou!"

They both laughed as their blood mingled. "Thanks… brother…" Meiou said, gratefully. She laughed again as she removed her hand from him and looked at her palm, "Wow! I have a brother now! I've never had a brother…"

Zell tapped his chest with a fist, "Well, I'm your brother now. So you don't have to worry. I'll protect you."

She smiled as she nodded. But a frown entered her face as she looked her bloodied palm, "Are you sure it's okay we did this?"

He was already bandaging his own hand when she spoke, but he raised his gaze to her, "Yeah. Why'd you ask?"

"Coz you know… I don't want to get infected with Zell's Disease…"

The joke got into his brain as he stood up, "Zell's Disease! Why you…!"

Meiou's face registered feigned surprise as she stood up and ran away from him, his arms reaching her sides and tickling her breathless.

Meiou clutched Zell's arm and hid behind him as they entered the town of Timber. People were looking at them strangely and Meiou's eyes widened at the sight of people.

Zell's arm snaked around her and held her hand, "Don't worry. We'll be okay."

She nodded as they continued to walk towards the inn.

The clerk looked at her strangely, looking at her weirdly colored eyes and her thick white cloak. She saw the woman swallow before speaking, "How may I help you sir?"

Zell rose up the two registration forms in his hand and laid it on the desk, "A reservation for Dintch. Balamb Garden made the arrangement…"

The clerk looked nervously at Meiou before turning to the computer terminal, "Yes. There was a reservation. Its in room 14." She looked at Meiou, "Is there anything else the missus would want?"

Meiou realized that the woman thought that the two of them were married. She was about to answer when Zell spoke, "Nah. She's fine. But I'm sure she will call on you if she needs anything."

The clerk nodded as she handed them the keys to their room. Soon, Zell opened the door to their room and led her inside.

" You'll be safe here." He said as he led her inside, "I'll go outside for a while and gather information. I'll check and see if he trains for Balamb had already left. I'll see the schedule for tomorrow."

Meiou looked around the room for a while before settling down on the bed. "O… okay… how long will you be gone?"

He closed the door and put down the bag where she kept her things. "I'll be here by nightfall. You should go to sleep. I'm sure you're tired."

She shook her head throwing her silver hair around, "No I'm not tired yet. I'll wait for you…"

I'll wait for you… 

Something about Meiou's words made his throat constrict, and before he could stop himself, he reached over behind her head and kissed her forehead, "I'll be back soon. Don't worry." He smiled as he left, while Meiou still sat on the bed with a hint of worry on her eyes.

Zell cursed as went inside the inn. He was able to get the tickets; unfortunately, the train had already left. They had to wait until morning for the next train to come.

He turned the key to the lock of their door only to see Meiou, still sitting where she sat before. A mixed expression of worry, surprise and alarm filled her features as he entered.

"Meiou? What are you doing?"

Her face relaxed when she saw that it was him. "I was… waiting for you."

He looked around to see that everything had been what it had before. He looked at her in surprise, "You hadn't moved since we got here?"

A blush entered her face as she nodded.

He sighed as he locked the door and came to her, "Why? Did you think I was in danger?"

She turned to another deeper shade of red as she nodded again.

He smiled, and it was such a cute smile at Meiou instantly smiled herself, "You don't have to worry. I'm very much okay. I have my fists you see. I can knock out anyone I want with these fists." He held up a fist as he spoke.

Meiou carefully raised a hand and laid it on his fist. He felt her warm hand through his gloves and he stared at her white fingers. "Yes… It was wrong of me to worry… I can see your strength. I'm sure you'll be able to protect both of us but…" She looked at him with her sky blue eyes and he was surprised to see tears in them. "Can… can you protect me…from me… as well?"

Zell looked into her eyes and he became lost. His fingers automatically loosened and gripped the hand that held him. Then she spoke, "I want someone to protect me. I've… I've been so scared all my life. I'm so tired of running for my life… of leaving the people of my life because of this…" She indicated her wings with the sweep of her other free hand. "I… don't want to hide anymore! I'm so sick of being scared! I feel like I'm some animal being hunted! I'm…" she burst out crying as she continued, "I'm so scared of everything now! It's like I don't have the courage to live anymore!"

Everything around them faded… the bed, the room, and the whole town of Timber faded from their thoughts as Zell embraced her as she continued crying. She was sobbing continuously now, and Zell comforted her by running his hand through her silvery hair. His fingers stirred the silver locks, and faint scent of gardenias came from it. She had somehow gotten her arms around him, and he brought her even closer to his body. _This is madness;_ Zell thought as his own body started to react,_ I should stop before it gets out of hand. Before I…before I…_

But even before he could stop himself, Zell found his lips kissing her face and neck. Meiou seemed to have noticed, but apparently paid no heed, as she inclined her head to allow him more access to her neck. His lips continued their journey up, to her chin, to her cheeks and finally her lips, where her mouth eagerly awaited him.

Her kiss was passionate, her body responsive as Zell carefully laid her down on the bed. Her wings lifted from her back and wrapped itself around the two of them, enveloping them both with white, downy feathers. His fingers continued to weave through her silken tresses, as his other hand traced a path down her shoulders to her back and down her bottom, before stopping in the area behind her knees as he raised her leg up to give him room. The touch of his hand on her bare legs was warm and maddening and through their mouths, he felt her gasp, and he instantly rose himself up.

"'S matter?" He asked worriedly, but his lips continued to kiss her face.

"No…nothing." She panted as her own hands ran through his spiky hair (_how did it stay up like that anyway, _she wondered) and down the muscles of his back through the thick fabric of his jacket. "It's just that… I've never felt like this before…"

She felt him chuckle as he looked up at her, his eyes gleaming with happiness. "Me neither…"

Meiou laughed then, and she looked at him with a question in her eyes, "What time is it, Zell?"

Zell raised himself up for a moment, looking at the time and saying, "It's after eight…why?"

A grin entered her features as she winded her arms around him and pulled him down to her face, "It's still pretty early… can you think of something to keep us busy?"

A passionate look entered Zell's eyes as he pulled off his jacket and gloves, "I think I just might have an idea…"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Encased in Ice

A ray of light was shining through the window, and it woke Meiou since it was shining directly to her closed lids. She yawned and was about to shift to her other side, when she realized that an arm was encircled around her waist. She turned to look behind her, only to see Zell dozing peacefully beside her. She smiled as she studied him carefully.

His eyes were closed and he was beautiful. Even with his tattoo, his face became almost angelic and no trace of the strong SeeD can be seen in his face. He looked almost like a little boy. She carefully rose up a hand and gently traced it on his tattoo and his lips.

His blue eyes opened, and for a moment, confusion set in. But when his eyes looked upon her, the confusion disappeared, and it was replaced with a look of exhaustion, contentment, happiness and love.

"Hey…" He whispered slowly, reaching up his face to clutch the hand that had woke him.

"Hey, why did you wake up? Did I disturb you?" She said, her fingers tightening on his hand.

"Nah." He looked up at her and smiled, "You didn't disturb me. It was a good thing you woke me. We have a train to catch." He kissed her hand soundly, and moved to get out of the bed. He was still naked underneath the sheet, and Meiou was treated to a full frontal view of his well-toned body.

Zell turned around and saw the look on her face and a mischievous look came to his eyes. "What cha looking at!" He asked with a look of mock anger on his face.

"Nothing…" She answered, and his look got more mischievous.

"So, you like to stare at a man body eh?" He asked menacingly as he went to her side of the bed and threw the bedcovers off, "Very well! You shall do the cleaning of this man's body… since you can't seem to get enough of it!" He bent down and carried her off.

"Zell! No!" Meiou hollered as her body was thrown like a sack on his shoulder, "Put me down, Zell!"

"Save your strength, you little mischievous angel!" Zell hollered, "You have a lot of cleaning to do!"

Meiou's screams became drowned out by the sound of the shower… not that she minded. They made glorious love in the shower and took a bath together. It was the most beautiful morning in Meiou's life, and she never wanted to trade with anyone for it.

Zell yawned loudly as he put down the magazine he was reading inside the SeeD cabin of the train. He shifted his legs restlessly as looked at his watch.

They were in the train, and as the time indicated, they have been traveling for three hours now. He knew they were coming close to Balamb, and his mission is about to end.

He looked at his hand and immediately remembered that he had lost his other glove in Timber. He looked at it now and saw that it was the hand that he had wounded and where Meiou's blood mixed with his. He looked at her now and smiled to himself.

"Next station: Balamb Station. Next station: Balamb Station."

Zell looked up at the P.A., and he sighed. His mission is about to finish and we were going to go home with Meiou. He stood up and went to the bed, where Meiou had been sleeping for the past few minutes.

"Wake up…" He said tenderly, kissing her forehead, "We're here."

She opened her beautiful eyes then, and Zell's heart gave a stopped for a few seconds. _God… she's so beautiful…_, he thought as she stretched and looked up at him, rubbing her eyes.

"Where are we?" she asked.

He kissed her forehead again and he was blessed with a dazzling smile. He turned and gathered her things as he spoke, "We're nearing Balamb Town. When we get off, I'm going to introduce you to my mom. She lives there…"

He looked at her and he realized she had a look of uncertainty. He instantly came to her, "Why? Is there something wrong…?"

"Are… are you sure this is a good idea?" She asked, fingering her hair nervously, "I… I feel kind of scared. What if she doesn't like me?"

Zell took her hands and kissed it, "But she will like you." He said fervently, "And if she doesn't… well, as much I love her, I won't care." He looked up at her again and put a hand on her cheek, "Because now, at least I love you more…"

A glorious smile entered her features as she bent over and kissed him, his own mouth opening up to receive it. " I love you too, Zell."

His heart made a triple somersault and he felt like he could do his Final Heaven ten times because of her words. A great big smile split his face and soon he began doing somersaults on the SeeD cabin.

"OHHHHH YEEEEAAAAHHHH! SHE LOVES ME!" Zell hollered as he flipped from the floor and did running flips from the wall.

"Zell…" Meiou said as she stood up…. And fell to the floor

The same thing happened to Zell as the train lurched to sudden stop. A loud explosion shook the floor, and Meiou screamed as her head hit the floor.

Zell looked around as the train stopped rocking. He stood up quickly and went to the cabin door to look. He cursed.

"Esthar soldiers!" he yelled at her as he pulled Meiou up, "We gotta get out of here!"

She nodded faintly as she stood up and let herself get dragged by Zell. The soldiers saw them and immediately began as pursuit. They transferred from train to train as they ran and they came to a dead end. Zell looked around, "Dammit, we're trapped…"

Meiou got a determined look in her eyes as she stepped near a wall. She closed her eyes and raised her hands, her wings opening up and spreading around her. A great ball of light emerged from her hands and soon blew a hole on the train.

If Zell had a time that he was thankful for a sorceress, it was that time. He kissed her soundly when she put down her hands. "I love you so much I could make love to you right now…" Instead, he took her hand and they both jumped off the train.

As they ran, Zell realized what had happened. The Galbadians and Esthar had traced them, and unfortunately met on this area. A great battle issued between the two, and during the battle, they blew the train off its track.

Zell was still wondering where to go, since the battle was getting worse, when something heavy hit him right in the head. As soon as he hit the ground, a great Thundaga spell hit him, and he was quickly immerged in a sea of electric shocks. When it stopped, he was so drained that he felt himself fainting. His vision blurred, yet the urge to protect Meiou was stronger then ever. He reached out a hand, trying to fight the darkness trying to close in on him. "Me…iou…" he whispered as he felt himself falling.

A light shown bright in the area, and soon he heard the soldiers yell in pain. He blinked, trying to get a clear vision. Finally, he saw the truth of what was happening.

Meiou apparently got angry, and released all her power against the Galbadians, and a great big cloud of Death spells emerged from her body. They flew up the air, pausing for a while before going down the Galbadian soldiers, slashing their life away and continuing to do so until all the Galbadians died. The Death spells flew up to the air and killed the pilots of their air ships and their machineries, and they fell to the ground in a pile of burning metal and human flesh. Her power was flaring, and Zell noticed that her wings and hair had gone black, and her eyes became black and soulless. She smiled, and Zell could clearly see a pair of fangs on her. Then she spoke and it was the scariest voice Zell ever heard…

Mainly because her voice… was now that of Sorceress Adel.

"_Free at last…"_ she said, _"Its been a long time… how much I have awaited for this day. The day of Earth's destruction."_ She turned to Zell,_ "Be thankful, SeeD, to have seen me rise before you die…"_

Then she laughed, a laugh that was so evil it shook Zell with fear and promptly fell unconscious.

"Zell… Zell. Wake up. Are you alright?"

He wanted to open his eyes but they just felt so heavy. He groaned in his confusion, and soon he heard another voice.

"Don't pressure him, Quistis. He had a hard time…" It was Doctor Kadowaki.

"But we need to know what happened!" His brows furrowed at the shrill voice. He immediately recognized it as Selphie's.

"I know. But we must give him rest…"

"But what was he supposed to do? How did it happen?" It was Squall this time.

"Edea should be the one you should ask that.."

"Well, what ever it was, I just hope Laguna will give them a consideration…" He heard Irvine say.

"I do not think so…" It was Quistis' voice again, "There was a massacre involved… it cannot be easily over-looked."

"No… no…"

It was his own voice this time, and he heard all of them turn to look at him. He tried to open his eyes once again, and this time it did. He saw the look of concern in their eyes as he spoke roughly, "I… was supposed to… protect her."

Irvine's eyebrows furrowed, "Who's 'her'?"

Quistis' s eyes softened under her glasses, "I don't know if you saw what happened, Zell, but…"

"I saw… everything…" Zell answered again, his throat hurting; "She lost… control when she… saw me fall. She became… angry…and her hatred… brought it… out of her…"

"What are you talking about, Zell?" Squall said as he came closer, "Please, we want to know. We want to know if we can help…"

"No… you cannot help anymore…"

They all turned to see Edea, Cid and Rinoa enter the Infirmary, and all three of them wore a look of despair.

"What happened, Matron? What going on?" Selphie asked, clinging on to Irvine at the look of sadness in their faces.

Edea raised her sad eyes to everyone of them, "I am sorry, my children. But these news only needs to be heard by one person alone." She looked at Zell.

Everyone looked confused, and Squall pressed the matter, "We want to know, Matron. Zell is our friend, and we want to do something to help."

Rinoa shook her head and turned to Edea, "We cannot hide it anymore, Matron Edea. We need to tell them."

Edea pondered this and was silent for a while. Then she sighed, "Very well. If you all want to know the truth, please go with Cid to our office. I need to speak with Zell alone."

With that Cid gathered everyone and they trooped out, and Zell and Edea were left in the infirmary. The silence was rather awkward and Zell swallowed before he spoke.

"Matron, what happened to…"

"Forgive me, Zell."

Edea's eyes filled with tears as she looked at him, and she took a deep breath as she explained, "Forgive me. I shouldn't have let you go alone. I almost let you die."

Zell's heart softened, "No, Matron." He said in a tender voice, " I learned so much from this mission and I wouldn't be able to learn that if I hadn't gone."

"You may have learned something from the journey, but it almost cost you your life. If Meiou had turned on you then…" Edea started to cry silently.

"Nothing happened to me, Matron." Zell pressed again, "I am safe now and that's all that matters. But I also want to know what happened to Meiou."

Edea looked at him, "Why must you ask about her Zell? Has… something happen between the two of you?"

Zell nodded solemnly.

At this Edea cried even more, "Forgive me Zell. I did not know…"

"What happened to her, Matron?" Zell's voice sounded impatient.

Edea looked at him, took a deep breath, and said…

"She has been… disposed off. She was brought to the Sorceress Memorial and was frozen for eternity."

With a bandaged head and hand, Zell and the others rushed to the Ragnarok. Even against Edea and Cid's will, the whole gang went to Sorceress memorial to see Meiou.

Now as Zell stood below the frozen statue of Meiou, he could still not believe what he was seeing.

There, in the biggest block of unknown, ice-like material was Meiou. Her hands and arms were folded about her chest and her wings spread majestically behind her. Her face was peaceful and her hair was frozen flowing around her. Her eyes were closed and her lips, which Zell remember as the reddest, sweetest lips he ever tasted, were white.

Zell fell to his knees, pain running up his legs. He paid no heed to pain; all he was aware of was Meiou, who now stood frozen above him.

"They… said that she didn't give up a fight. She had returned to her normal self when Esthar caught her. She… she said she didn't have any clue what happened, but she knew did something horrible and immediately turned herself in." Laguna said behind him as he watched Zell on the floor. "She was holding this when they brought her in."

Laguna came to Zell then, and gave him what looked like a red fabric. Zell realized upon closer inspection that it was actually the other pair of his Ehrgeiz, the one he had lost in Timber. He fingered it for a while and soon something fell out from inside it.

It was a piece of her feather, which was white and soft, as he had remembered it. Entwined with it was a strand of her silver hair. He raised it to his nose and he smelled the scent of gardenias on it.

Something inside Zell quickly knocked the wind out of his lungs and soon he found it hard to breathe that tears fell from his eyes. He realized he was crying from his loss, and for once, he wasn't afraid or humiliated from crying. He merely kneeled there, sobbing his heart out, clutching his glove, the white feather and Meiou's strand of hair… the only remains of his love that had been frozen forever.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Memories and Happiness

Squall and Rinoa were sitting together, the silence becoming awkward as they watched Zell continue to gaze up the heavens. They were in the secret place inside the Training Center, and couldn't help but feel sorry for Zell.

Rinoa stood up and went to Zell, "Zell…?"

He turned to her then, and forced a small smile from his lips. "Yes, Rinoa?"

Something in Zell's voice made her even more uncomfortable and she swallowed before she spoke, "Are… are you okay? You have been standing there for almost three hours now…"

"I am fine, Rinoa." Zell said formally that it shocked Rinoa, "Please don't worry about me."

Squall came to him then, looked into his eyes and said seriously, "You can't forget her, can you? Even if it has been three months."

Something in Zell's eyes flickered at Squall's words, and his voice broke as he spoke, "No… I can't forget her. I can never forget her."

Squall sighed as he patted his arm, "It's hard to forget her, I know, but just because she's frozen doesn't mean you have to be too. I'm sure that Meiou would've wanted you to move on. You can't dwell in her memories forever."

Zell shook his head, and the coldness in his voice and eyes became evident again, "You don't understand, Squall. Meiou is different. I can never love anyone else except for her. If I have to dwell in her memories forever and remain frozen, then I would do it." A serious tone entered his voice, "I love her more than anything. And no one can ever replace her."

Something in his voice worried the two of them. Rinoa was about to speak then, but Squall put a hand on her lips to silence her. He spoke again, "Suit yourself, Zell, but remember you can't be frozen forever."

Zell turned again to look at the moon as Rinoa and Squall left. He just stood there, watching the stars. It was when everyone left the area that he did what he wanted to do there… which was to cry and grieve for the silver angel who was supposed to be there with him.

Zell stood on one of Balamb piers, smelling the salty scent of the ocean as the wind blew. He sighed, seeing the blue ocean and thinking about the decision he made.

He left Balamb Garden for a while, and decided to stay awhile at his house. He left mainly because the others wouldn't leave him alone and they kept pestering him with advices that he didn't need. Edea was willing to let him go, but not before telling him, he always had a place in Balamb.

He sighed as he sat on the pier, taking his shoes and socks off, and dipping them into the water. The water relaxed him, and he got ready to reminisce about Meiou when he heard a voice behind him.

"Sir, please be careful. You might fall off."

The girl's voice was rather familiar. He didn't turn, but remained silent. Maybe the girl would leave he just stayed quiet.

"Is there a problem, mister? You don't look so good."

He sighed when he realized the girl wasn't going to leave. "Look, I came here to grieve and be alone. I don't know you and I don't want to know you. So please leave."

"Well… who are you grieving for?"

He sounded impatient, "My girlfriend… it's not like you know her."

"Why are you grieving for her? Is she dead?"

"Stop butting into other people's business, kid."

"Well, I just want to know. It seems like a really nice story."

He sighed again as he answered, "Yes. I came here to grieve for my dead girlfriend. There! Are you happy now?"

"Are you sure she's dead? Is she bleeding or something?"

_Persistent little twit._ "No, she's not dead. She's frozen."

"Well, she was just frozen. Why didn't you check to see if she was alive? Some people can still live or revived when they're frozen, right? Why didn't you check?"

He started to get angry, "Look, I don't know who you are! Just leave me alone! I didn't check if she was alive when she was frozen, okay? It's not like it's going to matter…"

"I think it just might matter to you if you checked…"

"Yeah! And why did you say that!"

"Well… 'Cause she might… you know, come back to life again and stand right behind you."

Zell's eyes widened at the girl's words and he immediately turned to see who it was.

It was a girl, all right, and a very familiar girl at that. He gasped as he tried to stand up. "Me…Meiou?"

She smiled then, and Zell's eyes watered as he looked at her. Gone were the wings and the white dress and cloak. Instead, she wore a SeeD uniform, with a pair of daggers on her hips. Her eyes, which now had black pupils, were now ocean blue in color. Everything about her was the same, except for the fact that she didn't look like a sorceress. She looked like she was one of them. She looked like a SeeD.

"What are you…?"

"I came back." She answered, smiling even more. "Adel left my body after I gave myself up, because she thought I was useless now. Odine contained her spirit and soon he destroyed her." She shrugged, "When they saw me, I was back to normal again. My wings were gone, my powers were gone and I now look normal. Laguna pitied me and he released me from Sorceress Memorial. He prepared some papers for me, and he claimed me to be his daughter. He knew I was supposed to be a SeeD now, and fixed everything with Matron. So now, I'm enrolled in Balamb as a SeeD trainee. I'll have my Inauguration this year."

He came closer to her as he reached out a hand. But he drew his hand away and just stared at her. She looked at him curiously, "What's the matter?"

Zell swallowed, "I… I'm afraid you would disappear if I touched you."

A tender look came into her eyes as she walked closer. When she was within arms length of Zell, she reached a hand and took his. When he felt the warmth of her hand, he felt his knees buckle and he fell on his knees to the floor. Tears gathered in his eyes as he clutched her hand.

"Meiou… Thank God you're alive…" Zell felt himself sobbing uncontrollably as he drew her close and embraced her, his face burying on her tummy. She merely stood above him, stroking his hair as he cried.

"Yes, Zell. I'm back… and I'm never leaving you again."

The word he longed to hear his whole life finally came out of her lips, and he pulled himself up as he crushed her to him as kissed her without any abandon. She replied his kiss with her own in earnest.

Then she stopped kissing him and looked at him. An impish look got into her eyes as she whispered, "Zell?"

Zell couldn't get enough of her as he kissed her neck, "Yeah?"

"Do you have a hundred Gil with you?"

He continued to kiss her as he looked around in his pocket. He felt the bill in his hand and he nodded on her neck. "Yeah. I got a hundred. Why'd ya ask?"

She grinned, "I don't believe I visited the Balamb Inn yet…"

His lips stopped kissing her and he pulled his face off her neck. As he looked into her eyes, she caught her meaning and he laughed for the first time in three months. She laughed with him, as he pulled her with him to the inn.

"So tell me, was it true that you cried when you saw me frozen?"

Zell looked at her, and he laughed again as he ran a hand through her hair.

They were in the secret place, and they sat in one dark corner as Squall and Rinoa stood in one corner and Selphie and Irvine were arguing in one side. Zell saw the four of them smile at him, and he smiled back at them before turning his attention to her again.

"Where'd you get that itty bit of information, eh?"

She pointed at Squall, her legal brother with Laguna as their father, who looked rather guilty as he spoke to Rinoa again.

He laughed out and crushed her to him, his other hand touching her face, "Yes, I did. You happy?"

She nodded vigorously, "Yep, now I know you aren't made of stone… except in some places."

He kissed her forehead as he laughed and he looked around, "You know, a long time ago, I was scared that I'd never come here with anyone."

"Boy, you sure are lucky to find me…"

He laughed again. It seemed that ever since she returned, he had been laughing everyday. He had to admit; it felt good to laugh again. "Yep, I sure am lucky."

She kissed his tattoo as she raised a hand to the moonlight, "So… will you still consider me as your sister? If you are, then you're doing one terrible sin."

He smiled as he removed the glove on his scarred hand. He looked at it too, thinking deeply before answering, "Nah. You're not my blood sister anymore, but you're still going to be a Dintch…"

"And how is that going to happen?"

He smiled as he reached into his pocket and drew out a ring. Meiou looked at it in surprise and admiration, and he felt her breath quicken. "You will be a Dintch…", he said solemnly, "If you would become my wife…"

Her eyes watered as she nodded. Zell didn't need to hear the words, for the look in her eyes was enough. He slipped the ring in her finger, and Meiou studied it with tears in her eyes.

It was silver, and on it was a minute silver feather with a shining diamond on it. It sparkled on her finger and fitted perfectly. A fat tear rolled down her eye as she gazed at it lovingly.

"I… made that myself…" Zell said, blushing, "I wanted to give that to you when we got to Balamb, but… you know…"

Meiou looked up at him, and without saying a word, kissed him fully on the lips. He wanted to say how much he loved her, and Meiou wanted to say the same, but they didn't have to say it because what they were doing is enough.

And so they kissed, under the moonlight, engaged and soon to be married with their other friends clapping at their engagement, knowing that their life was about to get better.

Meanwhile a lone figure stood outside the balcony, hidden in the shadows. The figure sighed and stepped back. The light behind her shone directly on her face and figure, and the light showed that it was actually Quistis, who had been watching the unraveling of events in the shadows.

"Why am I always the one to be left behind?" She asked herself, "Maybe I'm not supposed to get married…"

Then with a longing sigh, she walked off towards the entrance of the Training Center when a stranger bumped into her. She looked up at the man and gasped.

It was actually the CC Club's Joker, but he seemed different somehow. He was all dressed up in SeeD uniform and he looked more handsome than ever.

"Miss Trepe, are you alright?"

Quistis nodded, dumbfounded. Joker smiled at her again, "Well, let me escort you to the canteen. There are many monsters this time of night, and I'm sure a cup of coffee could warm you…"

Joker looked hopefully at her. Then before she could even think of what she was doing, the words popped out of her mouth.

"I'd love to."

Joker's smile got broader as he offered his arm to her. And as her gentle hand looped through his arm, she realized that everything was okay to work out okay…

The End.


End file.
